Rate My Professor Marcela Henao-Tamayo

Marcela Henao-Tamayo is an Associate Professor of Mycobacterial Immunology in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology at Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. She earned her M.D. in 1999 and M.Sc. in 2003 from Universidad de Antioquia in Medellín, Colombia, followed by a Ph.D. in 2009 from Colorado State University. Originally trained as a family practitioner in Colombia, she conducted clinical research on tuberculosis patients in a high-prevalence region before joining CSU as a research scientist. Over more than two decades, her career has focused on mycobacterial immunology, leading the Henao-Tamayo Lab as Principal Investigator since around 2014. In addition to her faculty role, she directs the CSU Flow Cytometry and Cell Sorting Core Facility and serves as Associate Department Head for Undergraduate Education.

Dr. Henao-Tamayo's research centers on understanding host-pathogen interactions during Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission and the immunopathogenesis of infections caused by mycobacterial species including M. tuberculosis, M. avium, and M. abscessus. Her lab employs multiparametric flow cytometry, single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics, and data modeling to evaluate immune responses, vaccine efficacy, and biomarkers of protection. Notable projects include the Immune Mechanisms of Protection Against Mycobacterium tuberculosis Center (IMPAC-TB), guinea pig models for nontuberculous mycobacteria disease, and the SolaVAX-TB/MucosImmune intranasal vaccine booster, which demonstrates protection in chronic Mtb infection models. She has contributed to COVID-19 research, including immune response evaluations for inactivated vaccines and collaborations on BCG redirection and pan-coronavirus vaccines. Her work has attracted NIH funding, such as $1.2 million in 2019 for advancing a new tuberculosis vaccine. Recognized as a 2022-2024 Monfort Professor, Dr. Henao-Tamayo's impact is reflected in over 5,500 Google Scholar citations. Key publications include "B cells and iBALT in TB immunity & pathogenesis" (Frontiers in Immunology, 2026), "Dose-Dependent Efficacy of a Riboflavin and Ultraviolet Light-Inactivated Whole-Virion SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine in a Hamster Infection Challenge Model" (Vaccines, 2026), "Immunopathological outcomes are isolate dependent in chronic Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary disease" (Disease Models & Mechanisms, 2026), and "A mouse model of tuberculosis reinfection" (Tuberculosis, 2012).